Emma Raducanu’s 2026 campaign has struggled to find a footing both in her game and her coaching team. After early exits in Hobart and Melbourne, coach Francisco Roig walked away, leading the British No. 1 to briefly rely on hitting partner Alexis Canter before reuniting with former coach Mark Petchey. Frances Tiafoe believes Petchey may be the steadying presence she needs.

“There was a time when I was her age, when I didn’t want it. But sometimes you have to look in the mirror and be, like, what do you actually really need, how much you actually want? Not to say any way for her, but I’m just saying, for me, this is how I feel right now. Look, she’s so good, and she’s so talented, obviously she’s a worker, she’s a Grand Slam champion,” Tiafoe said.

Frances Tiafoe urged Raducanu to pick a coach who truly gets her and can guide her back to the top. Her revolving-door approach to coaching has become her signature on tour, with more than six changes since turning pro in 2018, including Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov, Sebastian Sachs, and Francisco Roig. The stints with these coaches have been shortlived and it’s beginning to raise concerns amongst critics.

While Tiafoe, who has had at least five main coaches himself, understands the impulse and believes he knows exactly what she needs.

“I just think she just needs to find someone who is going to really be there for her and be there with her ups and downs and her trying to get back to the top of the game where she deserves to be.”

Interestingly, Tiafoe’s comments came just days after Coco Gauff had admitted that it would be very hard for her to play under Raducanu’s circumstances. The American said that there are some tournaments where she doesn’t necessarily listen to her coaches and expects her team not to “overcoach” her.

“I don’t think it would go well. There are tournaments where I maybe don’t listen to my coach that much at all, so maybe it is self-coach. No, I think, I mean, for me personally, I feel like it’s always good to have some direction. I feel like the team I have now, they don’t overcoach. They let me, you know, think it through,” Gauff said after her comprehensive 6-3, 7-6 victory over Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova in the Round of 64 at Indian Wells.

Like Emma, Coco has worked with a few different coaches since turning pro in 2018, including Jean-Christophe Faurel, Diego Moyano, Pere Riba, Brad Gilbert, Matt Daly, and now, Gavin MacMillan. These strategic changes coincided with her first Grand Slam singles title at the 2023 US Open under Gilbert and her 2025 French Open win with Faurel and Daly.

Her latest shift to biomechanics expert MacMillan in August 2025 targeted her persistent serve issues after a strong hard-court season. She further said that while every player may be different, some just tend to do well even without proper coaching and prefer to work with hitting partners instead.

“Like today, I didn’t look at my box for advice once. That’s how I usually prefer it. But, you know, I don’t know, I think it’s nice to have a coach with you, but every player is different. I know some players can play well without one, and some prefer just maybe someone like a hitting partner/coach. But I feel like with all the changes I’m making in my game, I think I would get pretty lost without one.”

While Raducanu has already worked with nine different coaches in her career, Petchey may just turn out to be the answer to all her problems.

Can Petchey bring Emma Raducanu back on track?

He has previously had two coaching stints with her, and the second one in particular proved to be quite impressive. He first worked with her back in 2020 before stepping in temporarily in 2025 ahead of the Miami Open. But he wasn’t able to fully commit to the job due to his broadcasting responsibilities for multiple different networks.

The 22-year-old’s performance improved drastically in the four-month stint, maintaining a record of 15-8. However, as Petchey left after Wimbledon, things turned sour for Raducanu once again, and her form declined significantly in the tournaments that followed. She only won 13 of her 27 matches.

Now, with Petchey back in her coaching team, Raducanu will be aiming to make a deep run in the Indian Wells Open and build a solid form heading into the Miami Open. Her campaign began on a positive note as she defeated Anastasia Zakharova 6-1, 6-3 in the Round of 64. Ahead of the match, she opened up about her thoughts on her team.

Speaking with the BBC, Raducanu said, “Right now, it’s more about bringing my instincts back out, getting back in touch with myself. I have had a lot of people telling me what to do, how to play, and it hasn’t necessarily fit.”

Speaking with the BBC after her practice, Raducanu said, “Right now, it’s more about bringing my instincts back out, getting back in touch with myself. I have had a lot of people telling me what to do, how to play, and it hasn’t necessarily fit.”

Only time will tell how far this partnership will go. For now, her next opponent is a tough one in World No.6 Amanda Anisimova in the next round. Will Emma Raducanu make it past the American and make it into the R16 for the second time at Indian Wells?